Infusion bag



J. P. WHELAN Jan. 26, 1960 INFUSION BAG Filed Sept. 14, 1956 United States Patentfi INFUSION BAG James P. Whelan, Quincy, Mass., assignor to Pneumatic Scale Corporation, Limited, Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 14, 1956, Serial No. 609,903

4 Claims. (Cl. 99-771) This invention relates to an infusion bag and to the method of making the same.

. The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved infusion bag which is characterized by a structure which enables the fluid in which the bag is suspended to flow completely around the bag and wherein the bag is provided with a pair of retaining compartments containing a body of infusing material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved infusion bag and the method of making the same in a highly eflicient and economical manner.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the infusion bag and in the method of making the same hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

-In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating a web of bag forming material;

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the step of folding the side edges of the blank of bag forming material;

Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the step of securing the folded side edges of the blank together;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation illustrating the bag in its folded position and showing the handle therefor; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the bag having the handle wrapped to encircle the same.

Referring to the drawings illustrating the present invention, represents a web of relatively thin porous bag forming material having its marginal edge portions 14, 16 capable of being adhesively afiixed together, and in practice the web may be provided with a band of thermoplastic material 12 along its edges 14, 16. A blank 11 from which the present bag is to be formed is cut from'the .web along lines 28, 39 as shown in Fig. 1. The marginal portions 18, 20 of the blank 11 are folded inwardly along fold lines 22, 24 into the position illustrated in Fig. 2. A relatively thin fibrous strip 26 provided with a thermoplastic coating is interposed between theedges 28, 30 of the folded portions 18, 20, and the edges 28, 30 are secured together, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, forming a relatively fiat open ended tube. The tube is then folded along medial line 32 thereby forming a pair of compartments 34, 36. Each of the compartments may and preferably will be filled with a quantity of infusing material, such as tea or coffee or the like. After the compartments 34, 36 have been filled with an infusing material the open ends of the tube are sealed, as by heat sealing, thus securing the edges thereof together in any usual or preferred manner.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the ends 38, 40 of the fibrous strip 26 are extended upwardly a substantial distance above the top edges 14, 16 of the folded bag and then are superimposed upon and secured to one another forming a unitary structure 42 as shown. desired material may then be adhesively secured to the end of the strip 42.

In order to prevent the handle portion consisting of A tag 44 of any- 2 V the strip 42 and tag 44' frombecoming'entangled with, the corresponding portions-of otherbag's, a'pluralit'y'of which may be packaged in asinglecontainer, the strip is wrapped once around the bag, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and in this manner entanglement of the handle may be substantially eliminated.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that during use of the present infusion bag the two half sections of the bag and the manner in which the handle is connected to the same permits the hot water to flow between the half sections and completely around the bag, thereby exposing an enlarged surface area of the bag to the water and increasing the infusing efiiciency of the bag. The present bag may also be economically manufactured and is particularly adapted for manufacture in an automatic machine.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. An infusion bag comprising an elongated tube of porous sheet material folded upon itself providing two compartments hingedly connected at the fold and having mouth portions in spaced relation, each compartment having a supply of infusion material therein and having their spaced mouth portions individually adhesively sealed, an elongated flexible strip of fibrous material of substantially greater length than the combined lengths 'of said compartments secured to said compartments with portions of the strip extending beyond the individual sealed mouth portions, said extended portions being separated from each other for a short distance beyond said mouths and secured together for the remainder of their lengths to provide a single strip, the separated portions of the strip enabling the compartments to diverge when the bag is submerged in water to permit the water to flow between the compartments.

2. An infusion container comprising a flat elongated tube of porous sheet material having a longitudinally extended overlapping seam and folded medially of its length providing two substantially parallel compartments hingedly connected at their lower ends and having their mouth portions in spaced relation, each compartment having a quantity of infusion material therein, each month portion being individually adhesively sealed, and a handle for said container comprising an elongated flexible strip of fibrous material of substantially greater length than the combined lengths of said compartments secured at one end to each of the compartments and at its other end to a tag, the portion of the strip secured to the compartments being disposed between and adhesively sealed to the overlapping portions of said longitudinal seam, and the portions of the strip between said compartments and said tag being separable to permit said compartments to diverge when the container is submerged in hot water to permit the water to flow between the compartments.

3. An infusion bag comprising an elongated tube of porous sheet material folded upon itself providing two separate compartments hingedly connected at the fold, each compartment having a spaced mouth portion, and each having a supply of infusion material therein, said mouth portions being individually adhesively sealed, an elongated flexible strip of fibrous material of a length greater than the length of the elongated tube secured at one end to each compartment, portions of the elongated strip extending beyond the compartments, and at least a portion of each of said extended portions of the strip being detached from each other to enable said compartments to diverge and permit water to flow between said compartments when the container is submerged in hot water.

4. An infusion container as defined in claim 1 wherein the handle and tag are of a length such as to enable the handle to be wrapped loosely about the container.

(References on following page) 3 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v2,015,972 Sodergren Oct. 1, 1935 Salfisberg Nov. 23, 1943 Mathieu Sept. 5, 1944 Irmscher Aug. 20, 1946 Eaton Aug. 20, 1946 Salfisberg Apr. 26, 1949 Rambold- Apr. 22, 1952 

1. AN INFUSION BAG COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBE OF POROUS SHEET MATERIAL FOLDED UPON ITSELF PROVIDING TWO COMPARTMENTS HINGEDLY CONNECTED AT THE FOLD AND HAVING MOUTH PORTIONS IN SPACED RELATION, EACH COMPARTMENT HAVING A SUPPLY OF INFUSION MATERIAL THEREIN AND HAVING THEIR SPACED MOUTH PORTIONS INDIVIDUALLY ADHESIVELY SEALED, AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE STRIP OF FIBROUS MATERIAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER LENGTH THAN THE COMBINED LENGHTS OF SAID COMPARTMENTS SECURED TO SAID COMPARTMENTS WITH PORTIONS OF THE STRIP EXTENDING BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL SEALED MOUTH PORTIONS, SAID EXTENDED PORTIONS BEING SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER FOR A SHORT DISTANCE BEYOND SAID MOUTHS AND SECURED TOGETHER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THEIR LENGTHS TO PROVIDE A SINGLE STRIP, THE SEPARATED PORTIONS OF THE STRIP ENABLING THE COMPARTMENTS TO DIVERGE WHEN THE BAG IS SUBMERGED IN WATER TO PERMIT THE WATER TO FLOW BETWEEN THE COMPARTMENTS. 